Palash Upazila
Palash Upazila (narsingdi district) area 94.43 sq km, located in between 23°53' and 24°03' north latitudes and in between 90°34' and 90°43' east longitudes. It is bounded by shibpur and kapasia upazilas on the north, rupganj and narsingdi sadar upazilas on the south, Shibpur and Narsingdi Sadar upazilas on the east, kaliganj (gazipur), Kapasia and Rupganj upazilas on the west.
Population Total 212612; male 107518, female 105094; Muslim 188847, Hindu 23678, Christian 66, Buddhist 8 and others 13.
Water bodies Main river: shitalakshya.
Administration Palash Thana, now an upazila, was formed in 1977.
| Upazila | ||||||||
| Municipality | Union | Mouza | Village | Population | Density (per sq km) | Literacy rate (%) | ||
| Urban | Rural | Urban | Rural | |||||
| 1 (Ghorashal) | 4 | 54 | 75 | 99680 | 112932 | 2251 | 63.7 (2001) | 52.8 |
| Municipality | ||||||||
|
Area (sq km) |
Ward |
Mahalla |
Population |
Density (per sq km) |
Literacy rate (%) | |||
| 19.21 (2001) | 9 | 51 | 85949 | 3036 (2001) | 66.6 | |||
| Upazila Town | ||||||||
|
Area (sq km) |
Mouza |
Population |
Density (per sq km) |
Literacy rate (%) | ||||
| 19.82 (2001) | 7 | 13731 | 2125 (2001) | 56.0 | ||||
| Union | ||||
| Name of union and GO code | Area (acre) | Population | Literacy rate (%) | |
| Male | Female | |||
| Gazaria 47 | 3284 | 12829 | 13330 | 53.4 |
| Char Sindur 15 | 3400 | 12817 | 13354 | 56.2 |
| Jinardi 79 | 6283 | 14803 | 15447 | 53.8 |
| Danga 31 | 4096 | 22445 | 21638 | 50.8 |
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Archaeological heritage and relics Parulia Mosque (1716), Mia Bari Mosque at Ghorashal, tomb of Dewan Sharif, Danga Bholabo Ancient Kali Bari and Gogeswar Sadhu Ashrama (1092), Kathunath Temple at Danga, Kanai Lal Temple at Barab.
War of Liberation Freedom fighters of the upazila had an encounter with Pak army at Charnagardi area. Freedom fighter Manir Hossain of Mymensing was killed in the encounter.
For details: see পলাশ উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৫।
Religious institutions Mosque 407, temple 27, tomb 2.
Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 58.6%; male 60.1%, female 57.2%. Noted educational institutions: Charsindur High School (1919), Parulia High School (1933), Ghorashal High School (1945), Danga High School, Gayeshpur PL High School, Palash Thana High School.
Cultural organisations Library 1, club 59, cinema hall 2, playground 31.
Main sources of income Agriculture 28.28%, non-agricultural labourer 2.86%, industry 5.14%, commerce 16.87%, transport and communication 2.14%, service 26.26%, construction 5.80%, and others 12.65%.
Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 53.36%, landless 46.64%; agricultural landowner: urban 47.12% and rural 60.64%.
Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, sugarcane, onion, garlic, vegetables.
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, sesame, kaun, sweet potato, arahar.
Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, pineapple, litchi, banana, papaya.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 15, dairy 55, poultry 87, nursery 7, cattle breeding centre 2.
Communication facilities Pucca road 124.38 km, semi-pucca road 0.31 km, mud road 138.31 km; railway 14 km; waterway 25 km.
Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart.
Noted manufactories Sugar mill, jute mill, paper mill, fertiliser factory, power station.
Cottage industries Blacksmith, potteries, weaving, bamboo work, cane work.
Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 16, fairs 7, most noted of which are Ghorashal Bazar, Danga Hat, Charsindur Hat,' Jinardi Mela, Ghorashal Mela and Charsindur Mela.
Main exports Sugar, jute hessian, paper, banana, pineapple, onion, garlic, vegetables.
Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 92.4% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.
Sources of drinking water Tube-well 89%, tap 9% and others 2%.
Sanitation 66.1% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 30.5% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 3.4% of households do not have latrine facilities.
Health centres Upazila hospital 7, health complex 1, satellite clinic and family welfare centre 4, maternity 1, charitable dispensary 1, community clinic 28.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Popy. [Md. Iftekhar Uddin Bhuiyan]
References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Palash Upazila 2007.
